Final Word from Wednesday, January 31, 2007
The conviction of ex-IT Minister Vladimír Mlynář for errors in founding a state-owned internet portal shows the fragility of the Czech justice system. Many of the politicians or journalists who criticize the "shocking" 5.5-year prison sentence know Mlynář personally and jumped to his defense without reading the court documents. Some of them are the same ones who blindly defend the independence of the justice system when rulings go their way. Mlynář himself has suggested that the decision was so harsh because the lead judge dislikes him. He was involved in some key telecoms decisions, and we'll never know whether this "dislike" derives from a failure on his part to deliver on something. The aim of all the political and media pressure is to secure an acquittal on appeal. Most people will be relieved if it happens, but doubts about the independence of the process will remain. [Czech Republic Tescom servis s.r.o. information technology]